While in Etosaha Namibia I saw some amazing elephants. Because it was well over 40 degrees celsius these animals would find a watering hole. Then they would get...
Read more
While in Etosaha Namibia I saw some amazing elephants. Because it was well over 40 degrees celsius these animals would find a watering hole. Then they would get as much mud and sand on themselves to cool down and to protect them from the harsh African sun. The profile shot I managed to get showed all this mud in great detail. I decided to go black and white to increase the contrast of the mud on elephant hide. I especially like the little beard on his chin.
Read less
Read less
Views
11438
Likes
Awards
Action Award
Chatter Award
Zenith Award
Legendary Award
Top Shot Award
Contest Finalist in Monochrome Wildlife Photo Contest
Contest Finalist in Colossal Wildlife Photo Contest
Tamron 17-50mm Lens
Contest Finalist in Big Mammals Photo Contest
Contest Finalist in ViewBug Photography Awards
Contest Finalist in Once Upon A Time Photo Contest
Peer Choice Award
Runner Up in Covers Photo Contest Vol 41
Contest Finalist in Covers Photo Contest Vol 41
Contest Finalist in Covers Photo Contest Vol 40
Peer Award
Absolute Masterpiece
Top Choice
Superb Composition
Magnificent Capture
Outstanding Creativity
All Star
Genius
Superior Skill
Virtuoso
Top Ranks
Categories
Same photographer See allBehind The Lens
Discover more photos See all
Behind The Lens
Location
Etosha. If you've never been to Etosha you need to add this to your bucket list. The contrasts in this park are stunning. I was lucky enough to visit in October 2016 when the rainy season had just started. This presents dark moody, stormy skies and stark, white desert landscapes near the pan.Time
I had been driving for a while, and the afternoon thunderstorms were starting to brew to the south. This was taken at 13:53. Not exactly magic hour but the lighting was fantastic.Lighting
The lighting was just perfect. A dark background resulting from storm clouds brewing behind the subject. The subject is front lit by the afternoon sun and makes the subject pop like crazy against the backdrop. The result is a high contrast image that works really well in black and white.Equipment
My trusty Canon 5D Mark III and a 70-200mm lens. I didn't need to use a tripod or flash for this shot as the lighting was great.Inspiration
It's how everything came together. The storm in the background allowing for dark skies, this elephant moved in exactly the right direction to capture a profile portrait and the lighting was absolutely amazing. These creatures are so amazing, so even without these conditions, it would have made a great shot. Every 15 minutes one dies and this should be inspiration enough to convince people to shoot these creatures with the camera instead of a gun. Save our elephants.Editing
Yes, I did do some post processing as this was shot on RAW. Firstly I changed it to black and white because I wanted the contrast to really come through. I wanted to portray this creatures amazing skin, hair and profile. Then some contrast tweaking with a touch of clarity, pull down the shadows ever so slightly and increased the highlights.In my camera bag
Although this was taken with my previous camera, the 5D MIII and a 70-200mm f/2.8 Canon IS II, I have since switched to Nikon. I have the D850 in my bag, with the AF-S Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8E FL ED VR, and a Tamron SP f/2.8 15-30mm. I also have a Manfrotto tripod, lens cleaning kit, extra batteries, extra cards and very often I have my laptop with me and an external hard drive to backup all my shots on. I've started carrying a photographic journal as well to make notes about specific locations or shots I need to come back for. If I can, I also carry my DJI Phantom drone 4 with me for when the moment calls.Feedback
Your subject should be front lit with a dark background. I captured this about 1 stop under so I could push the highlights a bit more to create more contrast. Secondly get to Etosha in the rainy season, from about October/November until April. October was good for me as it hadn't rained that much yet, so everything was still dry and parched but the skies were starting to gather. Once you've found your subject make sure you have your back to the sun and dark skies behind your subject and snap away. You may want to experiment with different exposures and perhaps even shutter speeds.